Improvement in car-trucks



G. SOUTHER.

G-alHTruck. v

No. 207,453, Patented Aug. 27,1878.

muy@

- curves,

as usual, to prevent unnecessary friction, and

' links and draw-bar aforesaid, of a draw-bar the car is propelled on a straight or curved UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, t

GEORGE soinnnn.A or BOsTO'N, MirssnOnUsETTs.

IMPROVEM ENT IN CAR-TRUCKS..

Specification forming part of Letters Pat-cntNo. 207,453, dated ngust '27, 1878; application filed June 10, 1878. f

To alt fwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE SOUTHER, of Boston, in the county of Suolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Trucks, which improvement is fully setforth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to' improvements in car-trucks Afor horse-ears, &c. 5 'and consists of the combination of a pair of centrally-divided shafts for each truck having wheels attached thereto in the usualV way, and a coupler-'bar provided with `swivel-bearings surrounding each of said shaft parts, for the `p'urposeqof preventing the Wheels iu each'truek from spreading apart when the car is drawn on as well as for the purpose of keeping the shafts that belong to each truck parallel to each other when the car is iu motion.

My vinvention further cousistsin combination with divided axles and sliding bearings, as usual on car-trucks, of a central grooved block with sliding bearings, -said block being supported on one or more springs, so as to prevent unnecessaryl shaking and jarring. Anti-irictional rollers are located between the sliding central bearings and the grooved block,

the links thaty usually connect the said bearings to the tic-headed draw-bar are provided in both ends with universal joints, by'which the draw-bar and links and their bearings can be operated without much friction in case the bearings aforesaid are raised or lowered by' the' jarring of lthe ear when in motion.

y My invention nally consists in the combi nation, with the u `ualdivided laxles and their wheels and central sliding bearings with the guide and latches by which the said draw-barcau be locked in any desired position when track, and, further, with. a hand-lever the lower end of which is jointed to the aforesaid drawbar, for the purpose ofoperating the latter by hand in case the ear is accident-all y thrown oli' the track, in which case the reartrc is so `Operated .by the said lever as to hold itin-af y'journal-beariugs.

proper position for the wheels to-be again guided onto the track.

I am aware that car-trucks have heretofore been made with divided axles, sliding bearings, and connections to a double bell-crank lever draw-badanti I wish to state that I do not claim, broadly, as my invention. such` au arrangement.

0n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1f represents a bottom view of my improved earJIk trucks. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal sec tion on the line A B, shown in Fig. 1.. Fig.

3 represents an end elevation ot the ear-frame ings, d el, andfinner sliding bearings, c e. fV is the central block, provided With grooves j" f', in which the bearings eeare free to slide. v g g are the anti-frietional rollers ihterposed between the sliding bearings .e e and central block j', for the purpose set forth. h hrepre' sent the yielding springs interposed between the central block f and the frame, as and for the purpose described. i is the coupler-bar for the shafts e c, provided in ,its outer ends with bearings'k k, that are arranged to turn or swivel on the pins or bolts la la passing through the outer ends of the coupler-bar i,

as set forth. Thevbearingsk k surround the shafts c c, annular recesses being made ou the said shafts for this purposesimilar to ordinary l is the draw-bar, and l" its fulcrum-pin.- Z' l are the double bell-crank levers or cross-bary on the said draw-bar. 'm m are the eonnectinginks, by means of which the sliding bearings 'e e are connected' to the draw-bar cranks l'l, as shown. m' mlm m` are the universal joints in the ends of the con'- nectingrods mm. n is the guide in the end of the frame a, in which theouter end of the .draw-b'ar is guided when operated, and o o are the, latches, hinged at o' yoandprovided with v the toe-pieces o" o", by which the drivercan unlock either of the', said latches by foot-press-v yure when the car sto be guided on curves 0" 0 are notches on the said latches, so -as to temporarily lock the draw-bar in its extreme right or left handed position when the car is drawn on curves. p is the hand-lever, jointed at p to the dasher q, and having its lower end, p, jointed to the forward end of the draw-bar l, by which the draw-bar can be operated by hand, so as to move the shafts and sliding bearings, as andfor the purpose.

described.

Having thus fullydescribed the nature and construction of my invention, I Wish to secure by Letters Patent, and claim- 1. In combination, the wheels b b, shafts c c, bearings d e, and the couplenbar i, with its swivel-boxes k k k 7c,as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination, the central grooved block ff and its sliding` bearings e e, with one or more springs, h h, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination, the wheels 11 b, shafts c c,

sliding bearings e e, draw-bar l. l l', and the universally-jointed links m m 'm' m', all arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination, the Wheels b b, shafts c c, sliding bearings c e, linksl'm m, drauf-bar ll l', the guide n, and latches o o" o',. as and vfor thepurpose set forth.

5. In combination with its connections to the sliding bearings e e, the handlever'p p p, as and for the purpose set forth and described. v

GEORGE SOUTHER.

Witnesses: Y

ALBAN ANDRN, HENRY GHADBOURN.

the draw-bar Z and. 

